Why have four horses died at Churchill Downs in a matter of days?
With the Kentucky Derby fast approaching, it goes without saying that such tragedy must be investigated and understood. The effect on the sport remains to be seen.
The untimely deaths have forced race organizers to take a long hard look at the track, the conditions and of course the circumstances that are currently in play as they prepare for what fans will likely be hoping is the successful 149th running of the prestigious event.
Four horses die at Churchill Downs ahead of Kentucky Derby
According to reports, four horses have died at Churchill Downs since April 27th. With the Kentucky Derby set for May 6th, it goes without saying that the tragic situation has raised a number of concerns about the safety of the horses that are set to participate in the event.
“Transparency is an important component of our commitment to safety and accountability in horse racing. We share the concern of our fans who have questions about the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs Racetrack and we extend our sincere condolences to those who love and cared for these horses,” read a statement by the famous Louisville track. The horses in question were ‘Wild on Ice’ who was injured last Thursday while training on dirt as well as ‘Take Charge Briana,’ who suffered an injury while competing in a turf race on Tuesday. “...Both were ultimately euthanized for humane reasons,” the statement added. There was also ‘Parents Pride’ and ‘Chasing Artie,’ both of whom died on Saturday and Thursday respectively. It is understood that both horses collapsed after racing at the track. The horses were owned by Ken Ramsey, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and had Luis Saez as their jockey.
What’s been said about the deaths of the horse?
As one can imagine, the sad situation was not at all well received. In a statement from the track itself, there was a clear determination to get to the bottom of the tragedy. “While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable. We take this very seriously and acknowledge that these troubling incidents are alarming and must be addressed,” read the Churchill Downs statement. “We feel a tremendous responsibility to our fans, the participants in our sport and the entire industry to be a leader in safety and continue to make significant investments to eliminate risk to our athletes. We have full confidence in our racing surfaces and have been assured by our riders and horsemen that they do as well.”
The fallout of the deaths
As per reports, ‘Parents Pride’ and ‘Chasing Artie’ were transported to the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for complete necropsies and at present there is an investigation underway. To that end, Joseph himself indicated that the team has been systematically retracing its steps in a search for answers as to what exactly happened. Despite blood tests of all horses in the barn, there is still yet to be any indication as to why the four animals died. “This is something that doesn’t happen,” the trainer said. “I’m shattered, basically, because I know it can’t happen. The odds of it happening twice is in the trillions. I run almost 4,000 horses and it never happened. It doesn’t make sense.”